Tina Tierney Health Talks

Lets face it, some of the best most powerful medicine in the world tastes bad.  The more healing power in your green smoothie, from my opinion, the worst it can taste... until you get used to it.

Remember, I gave up taste for benefits in August 2006.  I felt so low on energy, my thinking was not clear, my vision had deteriorated, and I needed help from every direction I could get it.  As Hippocrates said,
"Let Food Be Your Medicine, and medicine your food".

My personal philosophy on this is, when you are so, so, low on energy, you can better notice the effects from your food.  When I began to notice what I was drinking was lifting me up, that motivated me to ignore the taste.  After the first 100 or so green smoothies, I guess I did acquire a taste for them.

Also I quit drinking coffee the first day I was in hospital.  I intuitively knew I needed to eliminate anything acidic.  Besides, why drink coffee that is just so so?   A crummy cup of coffee would not be worth the extra acid it would deposit.  The biggest reason though, after 5 days in hospital, I was put on 800mg steroids a day for 9 days straight.  I can't even imagine that combination.

My point in mentioning coffee?  I noticed coffee and smoothies do not go together.  So if you are a coffee drinker, have your green smoothie before drinking your coffee.  It will also help you to avoid developing an ulcer,  especially if you are on steroids.  The high ph of your smoothie will also help to balance out the acid in the coffee.

I also had to draw the line on dandelion greens.  They are so healthy for you and especially if you put them in your green drink.  But, I still have not been able to eat anymore.  Wheat grass taste terrible, but you don't have to drink too much of it to get a benefit for the day, and it is as simple as downing a shot of tequilla.  I hate shots of tequila or whiskey, or any of those hard liquors.

In my travels, I loved sampling the homemade alcohol, liquors, and wines of the country I happened to be in.
I drank the local ouzo in Greece, Raki (similar to our moonshine in the south) in Turkey, apricot liquor in Austria.  When I drank retsina wine in Greece for the first time, I thought, you gotta be kidding; that taste like turpentine.
Not that I ever tasted turpentine or paint remover, but, just the smell alone of some of those local spirits.
I was always so polite when visiting people in their homes, I felt obligated to drink what they offered me, even if it was the worst I had ever tasted up to that point in my life.  My conclusion, lots of my girlfriends would say, yuck, and drink alcohol anyway, and the only thing you got out of that was sick sometimes.

At least, if you can bare to drink dark green smoothies, you will stay healthy or get well.  Your ph will become balanced, you will push out toxins, clean out your liver, clear up your complexion, your bowel movements will become regular, your hair will improve, you'll get that sparkle back in your eyes, you'll think clearer, you'll be one step closer to reaching your ideal weight,  or not gaining another pound, you will begin to reverse the aging process.  Yes, Green Smoothies are an anti-aging approach to health and wellness.
I just focus on the results I want and really, your taste buds actually will begin to change.  I actually enjoy my green smoothies, unless I put dandelion greens in them.

Focus on the benefits you will reap, instead of the taste.
Drink coffee after your green smoothie
Start with green friendly recipes and then gradually drink the less tasty ones.

Separate the fiber and just drink the juice at first or sometimes.  (I always leave the fiber in because it is my meal and my system needs the fiber).  My husband will drink it if I strain out the fiber - it's less intense.

A friendly variety would be spinach, celery, apple, lemon, and parsley.  As opposed to beet leaf instead of spinach.  Do not overdue spinach though because of the high oxalic acid content.  Swiss Chard taste better than mustard or turnip greens.  Collard and kale are a little less overwhelming.

The following are just my opinions:
If you are sick, drinking green smoothies will be the best thing you do to help yourself!
If you are well and want to reverse the aging process, or just maintain your health, nothing will beat what green smoothies can contribute to your health.
If you want to just get more nutrients in your body, drink green smoothies.

Eat Well To Feel Great!

Eating fruit on an empty stomach is one of the strategies to heal cancer. 

As of late, my success rate in curing cancer is about 80%. Cancer patients 

shouldn't die. The cure for cancer is already found. Hundreds of cancer patients 

die under the conventional treatments.. Very few can live for 5 years under the 

conventional treatments, and most live for only about 2 to 3 years. The conventional 
treatments do not make any difference because most cancer patients also 
live for about 2 to 3 years without undergoing any treatment. It is 
difficult to cure those cancer patients  who have undergone chemo and 
radiotherapy as their cells are toxic and weak. When there is a relapse, 
the cancer will spread very fast as the resistance is

We all think eating fruits means just buying fruits, cutting it and just popping it into our mouths. It's not as easy 
as you think. It's important to know how and when to eat.What is the correct way of eating fruits?     FRUITS SHOULD BE EATEN ON AN EMPTY STOMACH. If you eat fruit like that, it will play a majorrole to detoxify your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities. 

        
                IT MEANS NOT EATING FRUITS AFTER YOUR MEALS! *

                       

FRUIT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD.Let's say you 
eat two slices of bread and then a slice of fruit. The slice of fruit is 
ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but it is =
prevented from doing so.
                        In the meantime the whole meal rots and ferments =
and turns to acid.. The minute the fruit comes into contact with the =
food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins =
to spoil...

So please eat your fruits on an empty stomach 

           or before your meals! 

You have heard people complaining   

When I eat watermelon I burp, when I eat durian my stomach bloats up, =
when I eat a banana I feel like running to the toilet, etc 
actually all this will not arise if you eat the fruit on an empty =
stomach. The fruit mixes with the putrefying other food and produces gas =
and hence you will bloat!
                        Graying hair, balding, nervous outburst, and =
dark circles under the eyesall these will NOT happen if you take fruits =
on an empty stomach.
                        There is no such thing as some fruits, like =
orange and lemon are acidic, because all fruits become alkaline in our =
body, according to Dr. Herbert Shelton who did research on this matter. =
If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruits, you have the =
Secret of beauty, longevity, health, energy, happiness and normal =
weight.
                        When you need to drink fruit juice - drink only =
fresh fruit juice, NOT from the cans. Don't even drink juice that has =
been heated up. Don't eat cooked fruits because you don't get the =
nutrients at all. You only get to taste. Cooking destroys all the =
vitamins.
                        But eating a whole fruit is better than drinking =
the juice. If you should drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful =
slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing =
it. You can go on a 3-day fruit fast to cleanse your body. Just eat =
fruits and drink fruit juice throughout the 3 days and you will be =
surprised when your friends tell you how radiant you look!=20
                        KIWI:Tiny but mighty. This is a good source of =
potassium, magnesium, vitamin E & fiber. Its vitamin C content is twice =
that of an orange.
                        APPLE:An apple a day keeps the doctor away? =
Although an apple has a low vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & =
flavonoids which enhances the activity of vitamin C thereby helping to =
lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.
                        STRAWBERRY:Protective Fruit. Strawberries have =
the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits & protect the =
body from cancer-causing, blood vessel-clogging free radicals.
                        ORANGE:Sweetest medicine. Taking 2-4 oranges a =
day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve =
kidney stones as well as lessens the risk of colon cancer.
                        WATERMELON:Coolest thirst quencher. Composed of =
92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which =
helps boost our immune system. They are also a key source of lycopene =
=E2=80=94 the cancer fighting oxidant. Other nutrients found in =
watermelon are vitamin C & Potassium.=
                        GUAVA & PAPAYA:Top awards for vitamin C. They =
are the clear winners for their high vitamin C content.. Guava is also =
rich in fiber, which helps prevent constipation. Papaya is rich in =
carotene; this is good for your eyes.
                        Drinking Cold water after a meal 

For those who like to drink cold water, 

It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. =
However, do not!  It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.
                        A serious note about heart attacks HEART ATTACK =
PROCEDURE': (THIS IS NOT A JOKE!) Women should know that not every heart =
attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting. Be aware of intense =
pain in the jaw line. You may never have the first chest pain during the =
course of a heart attack. Nausea and intense sweating are also common =
symptoms. Sixty percent of people who have a heart attack while they are =
asleep do not wake up. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. =
Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we =
could survive.

Who knows if this is true?  My conclusion is, this is a confirmation drinking

a fruit smoothie first thing in the morning is an excellent practice.  Especially 

alone and waiting at least an hour before having anything else is the best.

May you be led to drink more berry good smoothies! 

Flow - produced by Robert Redford.  Eye opening about the world water crisis

Reversing Diabetes by Gabriel Cousens - if you have diabetes you must see this one!!!!!

Food Matters  -  Must See
Food INC. -  Another must see
Rave Diet DVD - another great one on health, cholesterol, our meat crisis, health - check website www.ravediet.com/ to order



All the Suzanne Sommers books
Ageless, The Sexy Years, Breakthrough, and her newest one Knockout.  She has been there and done that when it comes to alternative health and healing.  All of these books will tell you everything you always wanted to know about food, health, alternative healing, supplements, hormone balancing, Natural Replacement Hormone Therapy, Anti-aging, and reversing the aging process.

In Defense of Food, The End Of Food, Omnivore's Deliema, and his newest one, Food Rules - Keep It Simple

Gabriel Cousens - Conscious Eating
David Wolfe books, and you tube talks

I also want to recommend going to this link http://www.beneveda.com/education/suggested-reading.html for an excellent list of raw food and other health books.

Other you tube videos
Superfoods - by Natalie
10 Worst Foods
10 Best Foods

My personal philosophy on diets is, die ts don't work if you end up feeling what's the use in living?  I agree with Oprah Winfrey's book, "Make The Connection".  Coming from someone like me who lived to eat, my opinion...
life is too short to feel deprived, ever!  Acheiving your ideal weight must be a choice born out of a vision you see for yourself.  To acheive this goal, one of the first steps is to...
add new foods:  the raw food diet will introduce you to a whole new variety of products and new ways to prepare your food.  I have friends and family who are not on the raw food diet, but have enjoyed many of the replacement options such as dehydrated kale chips (these are intended to replace potato chips).  They taste great and kale provides a full spectrum of vitamins.
Determine what each food you eat will do for you?  Separate friends from enemies.  Wake up and be conscious about your choices.  I ask the food, what will you do for me?  Can you help me, or will you do something bad to me?  Will you lift me up and give me energy, or will you trick me and then drop me like a rock?  Will you help me avoid inflammation or take it away like pineapple, ginger, or goji berries?  Can you help my vision like fresh juiced carrot juice will?  Will you help me keep my stomach flat, or will you make me bloated or gassy?  Just tell me; what you will do to help me?  If you don't hear the answer, go look it up.

Sometimes I wake up and ask myself, what foods do I need to eat today?  I think about what I put in my green smoothie yesterday, and then try to add some different items today.  I see right through the food now and think about the vitamin spectrum.  As Andrew Weil suggests; eat a color variety as well;  eat reds, yellows, purple, and lots of greens of course.  One goal I aim for is to rotate everything for an entire week without repeating too many of the same things.  Even my doctor said to me to try and eat a wide variety and try not to buy the same things.  Shop at different places for your vegetables and fruits to minimize the types and amounts of pesticides.  I just try to buy as much organic and local produce as possible.

Look in the mirror and notice how good you look today.  When you have eaten right today, tomorrow you will look even better.   The more fresh raw food you eat, the more youthful your face will look.  Especially if you begin to cut out foods that harm.  When you become your ideal weight, the better you will look and feel.

Less Is More  We deserve the finest food nature can provide; especially when we are trying to become our ideal weight.  As Michael Pollan says, "choose quality over quantity" and "eat less".  At Tree Of Life Rejuvenation Center, a sign sits on their buffet saying, "the first cause of death is malnutrition, and the second cause of death is overeating".

Weight Loss is a result of Fat Loss   But do not take out all the fats; separate them into good and EVIL.  Coconut Oil is one from heaven, (there is an excellent book called "The Coconut Diet" which speaks volumes of its benefits) avocado, and flax seed oil (but do not cook it and do keep it refridgerated) are all excellent sources.  The mediterranean diet raves about olive oil, but I must point out, that is before its cooked.
I rotate what fats I have throughout the day.  If I had olive oil on my salad dressing for lunch, I make sure and use flax seed oil on my evening salad.  All foods containing fats must be used in moderation and should not exceed 5 - 10 % of your total food intake.  Be clear on what food you eat contains fat, and what kind it is (beneficial or harmful)?
Also, follow this link to read how Angela Stokes lost weight on the raw food diet
 Angela Stokes of www.RawReform.com. Angela was recently featured on CNN.com and national TV, speaking about her phenomenal weight loss with raw foods: over 160lbs lost and over 2 MILLION hits to CNN.com, to follow her story. Since this CNN exposure, we are delighted to have seen a HUGE rise in interest in raw foods for natural weight loss.
I hope you are not eating margerine, and if you use butter, use it sparingly, and have replaced regular vegetable oil with olive oil.  The best change you could make is cutting out all fried foods since they contain transfats.

Hippocrates says "Let Food Be Thy Medicine and Medicine Be Your Food".  I have found from personal kidney experience the food definitely makes a difference.  From Wegeners I had kidney involvement and my creatinine (measure of how much protein is spilling into urine)  went as high as 2.4.  My kidney doctor ordered a steroid infusion wash for 3 days at 700mg per day.
Gradually it fell to 1.9 and stayed there months.  I decided to become vegetarian again and watched it drop in a short amount of time to a range of 1.6 - 1.8.  After further research on the raw food diet I became vegan and averaged 50% raw everyday.  I asked my kidney doctor at the point of going raw, if my creatinine would drop much lower and he said that's probably as good as it is going to get.
I am so grateful today to say my creatinine is just 1 point above the high side of normal at 1.2 and is mostly staying at that number.  That is as low as it has gone since I went into hospital in Aug. 2006 when my baseline was at .07.  My diet fluctuates between being raw, vegan, and vegetarian.  I occasionally make exceptions for something extra special such as wild caught salmon (1 limit the intake to 3 - 4 ounces), steak Diane at Cheesecake Factory (It is so good there), and if I am travelling and feeling like I am not getting enough plant based protein I will make a few more exceptions.  I do take my protein/vitamin/green powder with me on the road and drink it with water in the morning.
Change your protein from animal to plant based protein and let us know in the comment box below what kind of results it has on your creatinine.
I should also point out, I tried not to take any medications that would tax my kidney.  I always asked the doctors questions like, what would the least harmful thing be that I could take for a headache?  They said tylenol.  I only took something for a headache when it was a last resort.  If you have kidney disease, check every medication you take with your doctors.  I was very careful about everything I ate or drank.

Check this blog out to read more on the triggers of vasculitis http://www.suite101.com/blog/daisyelaine/wegeners_granulomatosis_triggers#articleCommentForm. 

In spring 2004 I went to The Libby healing mineral health spa in Arkansas.  Months later I still had water in my ears and had to get ear tubes inserted to release the trapped water.   I thought it was from my visit to the mineral baths and at the time did not realize that this would be a symptom related to a much bigger problem.  When I met and spoke with other people who had wegeners, they also had to get the ear tubes. 

A year later I began to have pain in my left shoulder. It got so bad that eventually I could not lift my arm above shoulder height.  The MRI report indicated a small tear, and luckily my primary care doctor said he did not feel we should operate and that we would just watch it.  Finally after not using it and avoiding any lifting, it  began to heal.  Then the pain moved into my other shoulder.  I could not believe I had torn the other one too now.  I was thinking maybe it was stressed from compensating for the other shoulder.  My doctor did not put the pattern together yet at this point.  It was not until the pain traveled to my knee and then the other knee in 2006. 

In spring 2006 I was skiing in the Bavarian mountains in Germany.  Actually, I was making my way up to the resort with my ski boots on and by the time I hiked up the mountain from the car I was very exhausted.  I thought it was just the altitude.  My feet were very uncomfortable in my ski boots that I was wearing and thought they just didn't fit right.  I was so exhausted and my feet hurt so much that I ended up not skiing that day.  Then when we arrived by train in Paris, I could hardly manage pulling my suitcase to our hotel.  I was worn out and usually this was not a problem for me at all.  I thought, wow, good thing I went around the world when I was younger.  I really felt like I was getting older just being on the trip.  In retrospect, I was experiencing the exhaustion that is common with early symptoms of vasculitis.  Once home, the jet lag lasted for days.  In fact, I ended up calling it, "The jetlag I never recovered from"

By July of '06 I was sitting down in my garden more than I was actually gardening.  Normally I could work hours without stopping and not even take a break.  I was also feeling dizzy at times and it wasn't even the hottest part of the summer.  Meanwhile all summer long I had been experiencing what my primary care doctor called poly arthritis.   The problem came back in my shoulder and then went to the other one much quicker this time.  Then it had moved into my left knee and then the other knee.

Some other symptoms I had was sudden weight gain; I thought I gained it because I went on the spring trip to europe and it was from all the wonderful restaurants and pastry shops we went to.  Then just before I went into the hospital I began to quickly loose weight.  I was at 138 pounds in May and by christmas that year I went down to 107 pounds.  On and off all summer I had a runny nose which would just suddenly drip and I did not have a cold or any other symptoms that would cause my nose to run.

By August I had puffy stiff fingers and went back to my primary care doctor and then my knee was acting
up so bad he sent me to a rheumatologist.  When she took a chest x-ray I thought that was kind of strange since I told her it was my knee that was bothering me.  They called me right back and said I needed a cat scan which revealed I had infiltrates (bleeding) in my lungs.

By the time I went into the hospital I could hardly walk and was very exhausted.  My blood test said I was very anemic.   Once in the hospital, I began to spit up some blood and my sinus were very stuffy although I did not have a cold.  Weeks prior, my doctor thought I might have a sinus infection and I took augmentin to clear it up.  I just did not feel good and thought maybe the doctor was right, I had some kind of bug.

Three years after being diagnosed with wegeners vasculitis http://www.vasculitisfoundation.org/wegenersgranulomatosis, I am still wondering and wish I knew exactly what did trigger it.

I was always really healthy (except for growing up next door to an acid company where I lived the first 12 years of my life).  The worst thing that ever happened to me prior to getting wegeners, was getting hit by a car when I was 12 years old.  I rarely went to the doctor and always ate very healthy.  The biggest change in my life before Aug. '06 was getting a hot tub 2 years prior.  I enjoyed it so much, I was in it everyday.
CHEMICAL EXPOSURE #1 - Sitting in chemicals everyday (even though my tub has an ionizer).  I missed the signs.  First I got a bad case of eczema and when I went to the dermatologist he said I was extremely dried out.
With all my research since, I now think my body was detoxing (maybe releasing the acid I was exposed to)? and I did not realize it.  My condition lasted for almost a year that I did not go into the tub.  Then, I got a bad case of shingles on top of the eczema.  My system was crying for help.  I thought of this as an isolated symptom, but in retrospect I believe this was all related to the symptoms that followed.
CHEMICAL EXPOSURE #2,3,4...I should also mention that my 14 year old cat developed a bad case of fleas and I let off a flea bomb, gave him a flea dip, shampooed the carpet with a flea killer, sprinkled flea power here and there, and finished the job by handling a flea collar that I put on him for a week.  After talking to my vet he said it was very toxic and harmful for cats and I removed it.
CHEMICAL EXPOSURE#5  Then my purple leaf sand cherry bush developed a case of bugs that didn't budge when I sprayed it with a lighter less toxic spray, so I sprayed that with something highly effective and very toxic.
CHEMICAL EXPOSURE#6  I was painting in my basement and exposed to those chemicals.  Now, none of these things separately would be a problem, to the average healthy person, I don't think?  But in retrospect, I was overdoing the amount of toxins on a daily basis within a short amount of time.  When you are well, many people do not even think about being exposed to the toxins when driving their brand new car, or moving into their new house, or simply getting new carpet, fresh paint, and new furniture.  Not to mention the thousands of chemicals used in beauty products and common household cleaners we use on a daily basis.
If this topic of Auto Immune triggers interests you, read :The Auto Immune Epidemic" by Donna Jackson Nakazawa .http://www.donnajacksonnakazawa.com/
Very well written and researched, as well as thought provoking and informative.  If you put all the auto immune diseases together as a group, it is the number one killer of Americans today.  It also happens to be the fastest growing set of diseases.
I also wondered about the motrin I took while experiencing the joint pain. Just weeks before ending up in hospital I took a new drug from my rheumatologist called Imobic which immediately made my fingers puffy and inflammed. I also took the anti-biotic augmentin which is questionable based on what the liver doctor at U of M said who was a part of the National Liver study which is still going on.  I went to U of M because cytoxan was destroying my liver.  Funny how the evidence was there on my blood test showing how my liver enzymes climbed to 600 and 700 and the doctor said, I want you to see a liver specialist to see if you should keep taking this or not?  The first liver doctor at Henry Ford hospital kind of laughed that I needed his opinion.  He said immediately, that's a no brainer; NO!  Stop taking it immediately.
My point is, just because products are available and even prescribed to you; use your own discretion.  I had to learn this the hard way.  Just because they have three whole isles of toxic garden pesticides and everyone else washes their hair in chemicals http://www.health-report.co.uk/ingredients-directory.htm,, and eats food with hydrogenated Oils http://www.downwithbasics.com/hydrogenated.html, and uses splenda as a sweetener; doesn't mean it is safe!
CHEMICAL EXPOSURE IN FOOD  As I mentioned, I lived to eat and ate out in many different restaurants around the world.  I may have been exposed to many unhealthy oils, margerine, and ingredients that I would never use in my own cooking.  I may have had a cumulative effect and my system was over saturated and the hot tub was the straw that broke the camels back.
After getting diagnosed in '06, I was getting my haircut and telling my stylist what happened to me (she wondered why I looked as though I had aged 10 years in 2 months),  she told me about one of her clients.  She ended up with lupus and linked http://www.splendaexposed.com/ it to splenda.  I was newly diabetic and my husband bought me several bags of diabetic candy.  I realized after hearing about my stylist's client that these were sweetened with splenda.  What a pity, this hard candy was so delicious and I had to throw it away because splenda can trigger auto immune disease.   I also started researching products like aspartame which have many known side effects.://www.dorway.com/ and are in many drinks that seem healthy.
Since I don't know if any of the abover really were the triggers, I also have to mention that in the summer of 2006, I was also bitten by a tick.  I was on my way to the grand opening of Ikea in Canton, MI, when I pulled a tick out of my arm.  I made a big mistake and threw it out the window. (If you ever are bitten by a tick, keep it and send it into a lab that will check the tick for being a lyme carrier).  My lyme disease blood test came back normal twice, and I probably don't have lyme.  However I developed a bullseye on my arm like the ones shown in pictures. I have personally met people who years later found their health problems
were undetedted lyme disease and it had taken a toll on them.  Their blood test results initially said, no lyme detected according to the Elisa test.  This is the link to do the more reliable test .lymehttp://www.digitalnaturopath.com/treat/T463425.html. 
A special note to my vasculitis friends, I urge you to write down everything you can think of, as I did here, to analyze what you think could have been a trigger to your health crisis?   There is a discussion about this topic on the vasculitis wall you can share your information with us at.  Lets network and see what the common threads are?  I am just as interested in finding the causes as I am the cures.  I believe future generations will not need a cure if we know the causes and make changes to avoid them.

Two years before I was diagnosed with Vasculitis, I often had severe leg cramps.  It even reached a stage where I had them every night.  I barely ever have them now.  I think I found some of the causes and some excellent solutions.  The first cause was probably a magnesium mineral deficiency which many of us have.  Especially since I was going into the hot tub everyday.  I was sweating out the minerals and not replacing them.  I started using "CALM" http://www.calmnatural.com/(rasberry lemon flavor taste best and is available at vitamin world and better health food stores like Whole Foods Market) which is considered to be by some, the best magnesium on the market.  I am still taking CALM, but I also discovered, "Ancient Minerals Magnesium Oil" (http://www.ancient-minerals.com/?gclid=CNGS3uHKl6ACFYNo5QodZQT4gA).  Spray 8 squirts on you (I spray it on my legs) a day and it absorbs right into your body.  It has solved my leg cramp problem and I very highly recommend these two products.  Even if you do not have trouble with leg cramps, these are the best magnesium products I am aware of and we all need to take magnesium on a daily basis.

The other cause of my cramping and sore feet I discovered was due to white flour and refined sugar.  I felt like I was walking on rocks when I would get up in the morning.  A friend of mine who does not have vasculitis, also had the same problem.  She cut out white flour and sugar products and is better.  When she makes exceptions and eats a little too much it starts all over again.

There is reasearch saying genetically modified foods can do that to you.  There is an excellent book by Michael Pollan on food "In Defense Of Food"http://www.michaelpollan.com/, which points out most of the corn in our country is genetically modified and 75% of all our processed food in the grocery story is corn based.  In 2009 Germany  announced it will no longer grow genetically modified food because a certain beneficial beetle was dying off and it was disrupting the insect balance.

I stopped eating white flour, wheat, sugar, and primarily only eat fresh fruit and vegetables.  I no longer have the feeling I am walking crippled when I get up in the morning.  I believe this also helped the achy feeling I had for some years even prior to my vasculitis joint pain.  I always thought I was getting arthritis and then when I was getting x-rays and seeing the variety of doctors I saw for Vasculitis, they said I don't have arthritis.  I even went and had my feet x-rayed and the podiatrist said I did not have arthritis in my feet.

If you suffer from leg cramp pain or pain in your joints, I recommend you try cold pressed castor oil.  It has helped me many times.  It has to be cold pressed and is also available at better health food stores.  A 80 year old woman with vasculitis told me about it.  She suffered from leg pain in her joints and muscles for years until she found this solution to manage her discomfort.